What the Green Bay Packers should have done this offseason
By Evan Siegel
Connor Barwin
The Packers are terribly thin at edge rusher.
Clay Matthews and Nick Perry form a strong starting duo, but behind them is barely anything at all.
Kyler Fackrell is looking like one of the worst draft picks Ted Thompson has ever made, while Jayrone Elliot is making less progress toward being a consistent contributor from outside linebacker.
Fourth round pick Vince Biegel has yet to play a snap this preseason due to injury, a concerning development for a team needing depth and talent at the position.
Behind Biegel, the Packers are simply out of options at outside linebacker.
That does not bode well for a team with two starters who are injury-prone and need quality depth behind them to help save the for the postseason.
Connor Barwin is the type of player the Packers could use.
The 30-year-old veteran signed a cheap deal with the Los Angeles Rams and will play for Wade Phillips.
Barwin’s run-defending ability has been something the team has lacked since Mike Neal left, and the lack of edge-setting by the Packers’ defense has become more of a problem over time.
Barwin would have been a cheap, reliable signing for the short-term to help spell Matthews and Perry.